Kimya's Silence
by TLOSpyrogirl
Summary: The ability to speak up is something we value over anything else, so what happens if we lack it? When Kovu and Kiara's child is born as a mute, she must learn how to find her own voice... before it's too late. Things are stirring in the Pridelands, and a long-forgotten lion is holding the ladle.
1. Introduction

**A/N:**

**What is this, the Disney Renaissance all over again? I've been throwing out stories left and right. But then again, nobody said they were good. Well, either way, I love the movies, so why not write a story, however cliché it seems.**

**I'm warning you now. The first chapters are ridiculously short. They're all about two OpenOffice pages long (if that) until Chapter 9. After that, they are 3-4 pages long at least.**

**And no, there will _not _be random outbursts of song! xD**

* * *

_Dedicated to people with a disability of any kind_

* * *

The sunrise peeked over the horizon, casting its glorious light over all of the land. Every animal, from the greatest elephant to the smallest meerkat, raised their heads and looked about in wonder before fixing their gaze on Pride Rock in the distance. They all began their walk towards it. The last to leave was a cheetah. He stood on a rock before leaping down and outrunning everybody. Even the birds, standing lazily in the water, took to the air while monkeys hopped and swung to their destination along the trees.

The great mountain in the distance blanketed part of the land in cool shade and early-morning fog drifted along the ground. Thousands of flamingos flew through the air. Antelope leaped over the savanna swells, and the great giraffe, with her young child, walked steadily on.

They all had one destination.

All of the creatures stepped out of the mountain's shadow and into the waking sun, where Pride Rock lay just beyond. Guineas ran quickly as the elephants walked just behind them, leaving deep footprints in the ground. Some of them carried small fowl on their tusks, who were thankful for the ride. The animals crashed through the puddles that were left by last night's rain. The petals of some beautiful flower drifted along the ground and through the air, spiraling up then down over the creatures of Africa.

They were getting closer.

Over it all flew a single hornbill. Zazu, who was caught between being excited about the new child and unhappy that it would likely pounce him. He was getting too old for this! Zazu landed on the edge of Pride Rock and smiled, allowing his fears to alleviate for the moment.

The thick clouds parted as the animals assembled themselves about Pride Rock. A beam of golden light shot through it, landing just on the tip of Pride Rock. If you looked hard between the clouds, you could almost see the smiling face of a lion in the sky. But nobody did, for they were all fixated on on thing.

Rafiki, the baboon, gazed down at the animals below with a smile. They placed their first foot forward and bowed, starting at the back.

The lions, all various shades ranging from golden to yellow-grey, suddenly parted. Kovu emerged from the den first, smiling widely, and Kiara was right behind him, who beamed ever wider. Kiara carried a young cub by the nape of her neck. Me. She only stopped to nuzzle her parents, who stood apart from the crowd, as she passed them.

Rafiki turned away from the edge and walked over to the happy parents. He hugged them and gently took me from Kiara, cradling me in his arm. Zazu bowed and Kiara smiled at him, but Kovu was fixed on Rafiki. He had a content smile on his face.

Rafiki suddenly thrust me into the air before the other animals, who all hooted and howled and cheered their joy. I was surprised and didn't know exactly what to do. I stared blankly down at the animals who all made a big ruckus.

I lay suspended until I began to get bored. I smiled and began to wriggle in Rafiki's hands, batting playfully at him. He chuckled and Kovu smiled even wider than he ever had before. Kiara nuzzled him.

Just as Rafiki began to lower me (to my dismay), the flower petals that had been drifting through the air reached Pride Rock. The window blew at us, but especially at Simba, who closed his eyes and smiled. I was being cradled now, and the wind faded. A flower petal drifted through the air and landed on my paw.

Rafiki examined me for a moment before brushing his thumb across my forehead, leaving a sweet-smelling substance. I was confused, but I let a smile slip on my face as my parents entered my vision.

"It is a girl," Rafiki informed them.

Kovu and Kiara exchanged glances and smiled. Tired, I yawned and snuggled into Rafiki's arm before closing my brown eyes, just a shade lighter than my mother's. Kiara nuzzled me gently.

Mother and Father talked it over for a few minutes, but it was unanimously decided what my name would be. Kiara whispered it to Rafiki. Much to my delight, he lifted me into the air again, and the animals waited in excited silence.

"Kimya," Rafiki said, and the animals erupted again.

~~...~~

"Come on, say something," Daddy tried to persuade, bringing his head down level with mine. I stared at him blankly, cocked my head, and finally smiled and batted at his ear. Daddy sighed and lied down.

"Do you think there's something wrong with her?" Mother asked, worry in her voice. "She should be talking by now."

Daddy didn't reply, only sighed again. I jumped onto his back and climbed up onto his head, nuzzling into his mane until I was comfortable. I yawned and glanced at my dark brown fur, that I had of course inherited from my father. Like Mother, my underbelly and chest were white, contrasting with my mostly-brown colours.

"Maybe she just needs to play with someone her age," Daddy reassured after thinking for a moment. He looked up, though he couldn't see me, and smiled.

"What about Amani?" Mother asked. She picked me up by my neck and set me down gently on the ground. I nuzzled her leg and looked up at Daddy quizzically.

Daddy smiled. "Good idea. She needs to make friends anyway. I'll take her."

Mother smiled and nodded. Daddy walked forward, motioning for me to follow, and I happily did. We went down the right incline of Pride Rock and came to the shaded area fringed with rocks. Lionesses dozed here, a few opening eyes as we passed.

"Well, hello, Kovu. What a nice surprise," one of the mothers, Kujali, said pleasantly. She was a burnt yellow with grey-green eyes and a slender build. She turned behind her and spoke. "Say hello, dear."

A cub emerged from behind Kujali and stepped forward. I examined him quickly. He was bright yellow, like the sun on water, and had a mischievous look built into his face. His underbelly was white and his eyes were a bright green.

"Hello," the cub said, smiling. He had always been so confident, so sure, even as a cub. Daddy gently pushed me forward with his nose. I smiled and walked up to the cub.

"This is Kimya," Daddy said to the cub.

"Hi. I'm Amani," Amani said to me. I did not respond, only gazed at him. Amani made a face and tilted his head. "What's wrong with her? Why won't she say hello?"

"She can't speak yet," Daddy explained, with a mild smile. I smiled too and held my head at the same angle, hoping I would look like him.

"Oh," Amani said, examining me more closely. "Hey, you wanna play?"

I nodded vigorously and dropped down to the ground. I jumped about playfully, first this way and that. Amani mirrored me, laughing and grinning. all the way. I hopped to the left and tackled Amani, pinning the surprised cub to the ground. and jumped around playfully. Amani grinned and started jumping around too. Amani pushed me off and he laughed.

Kujali chuckled to herself as she watched us, but turned to Daddy. "You know..." she began, starting a conversation.

I was about to listen to it, but a "Psst!" distracted my attention. I flicked my ear and turned to the grinning Amani. "C'mon, let's go!" he whispered.

I glanced back at Daddy and Kujali, who were still talking, totally oblivious to us. I slanted my ears in confusion and cocked my head.

"It's okay, I just want to explore," Amani reassured. "Come on, before they see us!"

With a final glance back, I started to follow Amani as he snuck up the stone ramp. I inhaled in surprise as a brown paw suddenly blocked my path and I was picked up gently. When I was put back down, I realized it was Daddy who had stopped me.

"Where do you think you two are going?" He laughed.

I did the best pleading look I could and smiled innocently up at Daddy. I think my eyes might have sparkled.

"Yeah, we just wanna go play," Amani said as if I had spoken.

"Well..." Kujali began, hesitant.

"Pleaaaaaase?" Amani asked, while I mimicked the mouthing of the word.

Kujali laughed. "Kovu?"

"Kimya can go if Amani can," Daddy said.

"Alright," Kujali said with a smile. "But stick to the path, and don't go farther than the waterhole."

"Alright!" Amani laughed. We bolted up the ramp before our parents could change their minds. It was time for my first adventure!


	2. Adventure?

"Come on, Kimya!" Amani yelled back. I had been lagging behind, enjoying my first trek through the savanna, but I raced up beside Amani.

"Isn't this fun?" he asked. I nodded in agreement and smiled.

We bounced along through the tall grass, avoiding the path that led to the waterhole and instead making our own route. We soon came to a flat area with short grass. I grinned as I saw him, sitting on the rock. I looked at Amani and he grinned back. He was thinking the same thing as me.

We both dropped to the ground and slowly crawled along, careful not to step on any old grass or rocks. He didn't see us coming. Amani and I exchanged glances, and we pounced.

"AAAH!" Zazu screamed as he went flying back and landed on the ground. "It's a wonder I suffer this abuse," he muttered, freeing himself from Amani's grasp and landing on a rock.

I smiled apologetically and rolled onto my feet. I gently patted him on the back, careful not to hurt him. I was sorry, but I couldn't help myself. Pouncing Zazu was fun!

"Where are you two lovebirds going anyway?" Zazu asked, rolling his eyes.

Amani scowled. "We're going to the waterhole. And we're _not _lovebirds."

"Oh, no. The last time I heard that I got sat on by a rhinoceros. I'm coming with you," Zazu said, crossing his wings.

"Aww..." Amani began.

"No. There will be no elephant graveyards for either of you," Zazu gasped as soon as the words came out of his mouth and put two wings over his beak.

"Elephant graveyard?!" Amani exclaimed with delight. Him and I exchanged bright-eyed, excited glances, already beginning to formulate a plot.

"NO! I have my eye on both of you." Zazu gave us a stern look and hopped towards us.

"Watch it, banana beak," Amani said to Zazu, grinning at him and raising a paw. I laughed, though the laugh lacked sound.

"Stop talking to Simba," Zazu said flatly, taking to the air and leading us onwards.

Amani sighed dejectedly and fell back beside me. Zazu stayed in front of us the whole way, only stopping to glance back every few minutes and make sure we were still there.

"How are we going to get to the graveyard?" Amani whispered to me, one eye on Zazu. I shrugged. "Maybe we can sneak out tomorrow?"

I nodded. That was a good idea. As long as we could shake Zazu, we could get to the graveyard easily.

After a few more minutes of walking and plotting, we arrived at the waterhole. I was thirsty from the long, dusty walk, and I happily leaned down to drink some water. I didn't notice that Amani had come up behind me until I was shoved, and I barely had any time to catch my breath before I hit the water.

Amani was laughing so hard that the tree Zazu sat on was shaking. I scowled, annoyed, and went under. I would get back at him.

Amani laughed. "Okay, Kimya. You can come out now." He paused, but only a few bubbles popping answered him. "Seriously, Kimya."

No answer.

Zazu hopped off the tree and landed on the ground. He walked forward, a worried look on his face, and peered into the water.

"Kimya?" Amani asked, frightened. "Kimya!"

I released a breath, unable to hold it anymore. Time to act. In a flash, I hopped out of the water, wrapped my arms around Amani, and dragged him into the water with me. Amani yelled as he fell. When we surfaced, I was silently laughing as hard as I could.

"KIMYA!" Amani yelled. He hopped on me and pushed me under the water until I kicked him as retaliation. He let go and I shoved him as soon as I surfaced, but he shoved back. We began to play-fight. Water flew everywhere, and a few of our gasps took in water instead.

Zazu, annoyed because he had been splashed, sighed and retreated to his tree."Your parents are going to get one heck of a surprise..." he said under his breath.

~~...~~

Daddy took one look at us and he couldn't contain his laughter. Kujali was no different. We were both dripping wet and had fur falling over our eyes. My fur was stained an even darker brown and Amani's was a blackish yellow. Irritated, I batted at Amani's ear, but he only snickered.

Kujali picked up Amani and set him down between her paws. "I think it's time for your bath," she said with a laugh. Kujali immediately licked his head.

"Aw, Mom," Amani complained. He tried to get away, but was met with no success.

"It's getting late," Kovu said. "Say goodbye to Amani, Kimya," Daddy said.

I smiled agreeably and walked over to Amani. Leaning down, I put my paws on his. I nuzzled him, then stood up and walked away. That was my way of saying goodbye.

"Goodbye, Kovu and Kimya," Kujali said before licking the top of Amani's head.

"Bye, Kimya. See you tomorrow!" Amani shouted.

I turned as I walked up the ramp and smiled. I would definitely see him tomorrow. Happy that I had made a new friend, I skipped ahead of Daddy. Unlike Amani, I was looking forward to my bath.

Zazu landed on Daddy's shoulder. "Watch those two." He paused. "Someone... yes, someone told them about the graveyard."

"There's nothing there anymore. The hyenas are long gone," Daddy murmured.

"I have a bad feeling about that place. Anyway, they could get hurt; slip on a bone or fall off a skull or something," Zazu said, nervous just at the thought. Though he hated to be pounced, he didn't want to see us hurt.

"You're right. I'll keep an eye on her..." Daddy looked at me as I disappeared into the cave.

I ran up to Mother, smiling ear-to-ear. She glanced at me, looked away, and then looked back again. Shock appeared on her face and she laughed.

"Oh, my." I nuzzled her. "You're wet," Mother said simply, laughing. I walked over to her and she started to lick the water off me. I arched my back, happy to be more or less dry. Daddy walked in and smiled at us.

"Has she said anything?" Mother asked Daddy between licks.

"No. But she did make a new friend." Daddy climbed up to the elevated point in the den where we slept and sat down.

Mother picked me up and followed him. She sat down beside Daddy and resumed the bath. "I hope she speaks soon. But as long as she and Amani had fun together, that's what matters," Mother said.

When my bath was finally done, I nuzzled Mother and curled up beside her. I was exhausted, but it had been a great day and I couldn't wait to wake up tomorrow so I could see Amani. Maybe I would see an elephant graveyard! That would be so cool. If I wasn't beyond words anyway, I would probably be beyond words!

Mother smiled at Daddy and he smiled back. They both lied down, one on either side of me. The rest of the lions came in quietly, including Amani. He smiled at me when he saw my eyes were open and I smiled back. Amani walked over beside the raised bit and laid there. Smiling softly to myself, I slowly drifted off into happy dreams.


	3. Kimya and Amani

I woke up suddenly, pulled out of my slumber filled with bright dreams of the savanna. I yawned and blinked a few times, allowing my eyes to adjust to the darkness. Realizing it was dark, I sighed. Oh well, I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway and I might as well have watched the sunset. I stood and stretched, careful not to wake my parents. I stared at the ocean of lions below me and wondered how I would get out.

My mind wandered to Zazu. It was easy to pounce him. All I had to do was pretend he was sitting there just one the other side of the den. He _did _usually sleep in the corner anyway so I could just—

Before I knew that I had moved, I was sailing through the air. I landed on the other side of the lions. Smiling happily, I skipped off outside. That was fun!

I walked over to the edge of Pride Rock and yawned again. The sun wouldn't be up for awhile yet. I tsked, a sound I could make because it required no voice, and gazed out over the savanna. It was awfully lonely out here by myself. I sighed and wished Amani was awake. Amani was like... like my best friend. Even though we had only met a day ago, but I supposed he wasn't my best friend. Technically, though, he was my only friend, so consequentially he was my best one.

I smiled gently to myself. If nothing, he was a good friend, a _good _friend.

"Hi, Kimya!" The sudden voice startled me. I jumped and looked back, but smiled when I saw it was just Amani.

Amani plodded over and I nuzzled him hello. He shook his head and rolled his eyes as if embarrassed. I gave him a 'What? It's how I say hello' look.

"I know." He laughed and half-begrudgingly nuzzled back. "So... whatcha doin'?" I motioned to the savanna below. "Well, that is boring," Amani said, shaking his head.

I rolled my eyes. Was not. I gazed back down below, then flicked my ear as I heard a cross between purring and growling behind me. Before I could look at him, Amani pounced me. I would have screamed, but a sharp intake of breath was all I was able to do.

Thinking fast, I quickly rolled over and made it so I was the one on top. An easy pin, for an easy win. I smiled sweetly as Amani scowled, but there was no more warning than that and he suddenly flipped and managed to pin _me! _

Amani grinned. I pushed him off irately, which only caused him to laugh and playfully push my hind leg. I allowed the annoyed expression to fade and grinned, rolling onto my back. Amani flopped down beside me, chuckling. I batted at his ear.

"I'm bored now," Amani sighed. I shrugged in response and sat up on my stomach. "Let's go to the grave—"

Before Amani could say anything else, I immediately pounced him, sending us rolling head-over-heals for a few feet. When we finally stopped, I was lying horizontally across him, both of us forming a sort of cross shape.

"What?" Amani asked, annoyed. I grunted in disapproval. "I know they're nearby!" he grumbled.

I batted at his ear in response and thought to myself how silly this looked. I mean, I hadn't said a word, yet Amani answered me as if I had actually spoken. I guess you just know a person. I got up off of Amani, smiling sweetly.

"Alright, alright, _Mom_. I'll wait," Amani said, rolling his eyes.

I smiled, then turned to gaze out at the savanna. An orange light was on the horizon, so I knew the pride would soon be out and about. Everybody usually hunted in the morning before the scorching midday heat set in. I loved watching the lions hunt. One day I knew I would be the one out there.

I glanced back at the den's entrance, dusky in the morning light. A shadow, even darker than the darkness inside the den, slinked inside. Cocking my head, I turned around fully. The shadow entered the morning light and I saw it was Daddy. He stretched and walked up to me.

"What are you doing up?" he asked, smiling and nuzzling me. I nuzzled back.

"Hi, Kovu!" Amani greeted.

"Hello, Amani," Daddy replied.

Becoming bored, I looked around for something to do and spotted a black butterfly with orange wings fluttering about. Smiling, I dropped into a crouch and pounced after it. I didn't want to hurt the little thing, I just wanted to play.

"You remind me of your mother," Daddy said, smiling.

Zazu descended out of the sky and flew over to us. He landed beside Daddy and almost immediately began to drone on about the state of the savanna, something that bored me immensely. So instead of listening, I grinned at Amani. Knowing what I was thinking, we both crouched down and silently crept over to Zazu.

"Don't even think about it," he said to us, turning around suddenly. Amani only snickered. I smiled.

Daddy chuckled. "Why don't you two go out and play?" he asked Zazu shot him a warning look. "But... stay in the Pridelands."

"Where would we go?" Amani asked innocently, exchanging an alarmed glance with me. We quickly bounded off before he could say anything to stop us.

"Zazu... keep an eye on those two. You may be right," Daddy murmured.

"I'm on it." Zazu took to the air.


	4. Adventure!

Amani and I happily skipped through a field of tall grass, happy to be going on an adventure. We came to a sudden halt. I looked at Amani, confused.

"We better pretend we're going to the waterhole first. Then, when we're out of sight, we can go to the..." Amani looked around and whispered, "place."

I nodded in agreement. If we headed straight towards the shadowy graveyard now, it would be a dead giveaway. So we turned ourselves and headed for the waterhole. I glanced back once at Pride Rock, where I could clearly see a brown and furry speck. Yep. He was watching us, and I didn't blame him because he had an inkling.

Did I feel guilty for disobeying him? Yes. Well... a little bit. The excitement got to me; I just want to see an abandoned place, face my fears, go on an adventure! Well, anyway, a half-adventure. Not like the graveyard would be inhabited or anything like that.

Amani and I walked in silence for about five minutes before Amani spotted something and gasped, flopping down into the grass. I looked at him quizzically.

"It's Banana Beak! Duck!" Amani hissed. I dropped to the ground, just in time to see Zazu fly over us.

"Kimya? Amani!" Zazu yelled as he flew ahead. I suppressed a giggle and nearly choked.

"Shh!" Amani whispered, but I saw he was having a hard time keeping a straight face as well.

Zazu suddenly dropped out of the sky as if he were a hawk and landed on the rock right in front of me, thankfully facing the other way. I could have nudged him with my nose. Amani motioned for me to back away and I did just that, sliding back into the tall grass.

"Where are those cubs?" Zazu grumbled to himself. "Kovu's going to pluck all my feathers off and skin me alive if I don't find them..." With that, he took to the skies.

Amani and I watched Zazu until he was merely a speck on the horizon. When we were sure he couldn't see us, Amani hopped up and laughed.

"Race you there!" he exclaimed.

I dashed forward immediately, looking back and grinning and I ran along.

"Hey, no fair!" Amani yelled, running after me.

~~...~~

"Hey Kimya! Catch up, elephant-legs!" Amani yelled. He had run far ahead, away from the safety of grass, rocks, trees, and places to hide."Hey... where'd she go?" he wondered out loud.

Then, from the shadows, I pounced. Amani realized the error of his ways as he tumbled down the hill, at the mercy of I, but it was not the first error he would make; he would not learn from the first mistake, and would suffer for the second. But, for now, he was with me. He would be with me again during his second mistake... but that is a later chapter in the book.

Now I was laughing. Even when I slammed my head against the ground and when the hill became steeper, I couldn't stop silently laughing and gasping for breath. We finally tumbled down into the valley, not unlike Simba and Nala had years ago.

"Oof!" Amani exclaimed as he flopped down onto the ground. He looked around and blinked. "Wow. Look at that."

I had landed a few feet away from Amani. I stood and shook myself off of dust before looking around. I think I stopped breathing. In pure awe, I simply sat there and stared.

All around me was a desolate, long-abandoned wasteland, not to mention so dark and dusty that I was hardly visible, but that makes it sound like the whole place wasn't cool. Giant ribcages, skulls, and assorted bones dotted the landscape. I gently touched one that was just in front of me. It was smooth like a pebble and bigger than any bone I had ever seen.

I looked up at the sky that was a sickly brown-orange. This was strange; the sky had been a clear blue a moment ago, when we were still in the Pridelands. I looked back down and saw that the dust was settling into some thick, choking fog. Though this place was so lonely, shrill song was playing through the silence... the song of adventure.

I opened my mouth, straining to speak, longing to say something... anything... anything at all. But nothing happened. There was no voice, no words, not even a tiny squeak. Right then and there, I made up my might. I _would _speak. I don't know why I couldn't, but I knew I could at least time to overcome it.

Amani, who was bounding ahead of me, didn't seem to notice my straining. He looked back and grinned. "Coming, elephant-legs?"

I sprang forward, but Amani had already fled. In the back of my mind, I thought I was going to get in so much trouble for this, but I didn't care.

* * *

Zazu landed in front of Kovu. "I've looked everywhere, but I can't find them..." he said, shifting nervously and just waiting for Kovu to kill him.

Kovu got a slightly glazed look in his eye. "...I better go look for them myself. They might get hurt."

Zazu flapped into the air and glided down the left path that lead to the vast savanna. "I still suspect they went to the—"

"Why didn't you go there yourself?" Kovu asked calmly as he walked down the ramp.

"I'm not going back to the birdie boiler..."


	5. Caught in the Hunt

Amani was still laughing two minutes later. He had avoided me at every turn and even added unneeded flourishes that made me fluster with anger.

"Too slow!" Amani exclaimed for the millionth time, running backwards just out of my reach. A grin crossed my face as I saw the hazard just behind him. Even if I could have told of the impending danger, I wouldn't have.

"What? Do you give—AAAAAH!" Amani stopped short in the middle of his sentence as he fell into one of the craters. Piping hot gas spurted up out of it before he could fall, sending him flying into the air.

Amani, who was sprawled on the ground with his legs in the air, didn't move until I walked over to him with a sweet smiled on his face. He shot me the deathiest death glare I'd ever received, sprung to his feet, and tackled me. We tumbled down another hill, albeit a smaller one, Amani laughing all the way.

When we finally hit the bottom, I was on my back. Pinned. I managed to push him off and a rather lengthy play-fight began, both of us rolling over and trying to pin each other. After a few minutes of this, Amani managed to pin me again, but he had little time to celebrate his victory. Looking up into the air, he gasped.

"Zazu's found us! Take cover!" Amani yelled, jumped off me and running away. I rolled onto shaky feet and ran after him.

"Not so fast!" I was forced to come to a quick halt as Zazu flew in front of me. I slid to a stop, almost touching his beak with my snout.

I meekly dropped to the ground and cowered there. Amani grudgingly trudged over and sat down beside me with a sigh.

"You two are in big trouble," Zazu said, landing. He glanced uncertainly around, before turning to us again. "Let's just get you back to your parents before something bad happens to us."

"Like what?" Amani asked. "All the hyenas were run out a long time ago."

"Believe it or not, there are many worse things than hyenas," Zazu replied. "Let's just leave."

"Why leave?" a voice asked.

"Yeah! The fun's only just begun..." another voice said with a cackle.

A shiver ran up my spine and my blood turned to ice. Zazu, Amani, and I whirled around and were greeted by the faces of three hyenas. They all laughed mockingly and began to surround us, circling and circling, their grey fur blowing in the wind that had started up rather suddenly.

"So... the princess and her little _friend_ has graced us with an audience?" the female hyena asked, stalking around us. She was the thinnest of the three, and certainly the coldest.

"Yeah, with her little servant, too," the male one said, snickering.

The third male merely laughed wildly. His steps weren't straight and he stumbled as he walked, usually almost tripping, but he never stopped grinning.

I glared at the hyenas as they began to close the circle. Zazu looked around, trying to find a way out. This confused me. He knew full-well that he could just fly away, so why did he stay with us?

"What's the plan again?" the male hyena asked in an audible whisper.

"We get the girl and we take her to—well, it doesn't matter what his name is," the female hyena said, jabbing her head towards us. "Just get her!"

With that, all three hyenas dived towards me. Fear coursed through me like running water, holding me stock still in place. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't, so instead I shot my paw out just as the hyenas reached me. All I know is my paw collided with something and my baby claws left marks in it. It didn't stop them from reaching me, and I went under a sea of bodies and legs.

I could hear Amani screaming and caught a glimpse of Zazu as he flew away, towards the Pridelands, surely to warn Daddy. A hyena disappeared (with a cry of "Banzai!" from the female) so I took the opportunity to kick the crazy male one, stumbling him, and flipped to my feet. I dove through his legs and ran.

But when I looked back, I stopped in horror. The bulky male, apparently Banzai, was standing over Amani. A growl rumbled from his throat and I could see clearly the three claw-marks that went through his right eye and over his face. Amani was struggling, but a firm paw was planted on him and he couldn't free himself from it.

"Should I kill him, Shenzi?" Banzai growled.

"I don't see why not," the female, Shenzi, said.

Realizing what would happen if I didn't do something _immediately, _I ran forward as fast as my legs had ever taken me. I slammed right into Banzai, surprising him and causing him to fall backwards. Amani struggled to his feet and I stood in front of him defensively.

Before anybody could do anything, a loud roar pierced the air. A very familiar roar at that.

"Uh-oh," Banzai and Shenzi said together before hightailing it. They didn't get far.

Daddy came sailing over the hill. I ducked as his shadow passed over me and cringed as he landed. He wasted no time and immediately ran off after the hyenas. Zazu was next to fly over us, but he landed in front of me.

"This may take awhile. We better get you two home," Zazu said.

I nodded in agreement. I knew it was in big trouble, but Amani and I had come to a close call there. Heart stilling pounding, I turned and began to plod home.

~~...~~

Amani sighed. We were back at Pride Rock, sitting in a little tunnel/cave thing. It was as far away from the entrance to the den as we could get, without actually leaving.

"Gee, Kimya... I'm sorry I made you go with me," Amani said.

I shook my head, wishing I could say, _"No. This is my fault. I'll take the blame." _But, all I could do was just give Amani a sad, pleading look. I felt helpless. I couldn't voice my thoughts, couldn't say what I wanted.

Amani sighed again and shook his head. "I better go see Mom... she'll be mad too." Amani stood up and walked towards the entrance.

"Good luck, Kimya," he murmured, as he disappeared into the shadows.

I sighed and laid down. I was hidden from sight... maybe Daddy wouldn't find me? I sighed again and kept my eye on the cave entrance, but sleep soon took its hold.

~~...~~

"_She could have gotten killed. We can't just let this slide..." _I slowly opened one eye, dizzy from being woken up.

"_Kovu, don't be too hard on her." _I began to regain my senses.

"_She has to be punished. It won't be a serious _punishment, but she has to understand." I snapped my eyes closed again.

"What should we do?" I heard Mother's voice, uncertain.

"We can just make her stay away from all the other cubs for a few days." Daddy this time.

"I suppose..."

"Don't worry, Kiara."

The conversation ceased. My heart beat fast. I was afraid... but I don't know why I was so terrified. Perhaps I just didn't want to be separated from Amani. But it wouldn't be that long, right?


	6. The Famine

I gave a sigh as I flopped down on the tip of Pride Rock. I was grounded. I could only leave to get a drink of water at the waterhole if Mother or Daddy followed me. In addition, I couldn't play with the other cubs. Amani had a similar punishment. We could only exchange wistful looks as we passed each other, nothing else. I vowed, right then and there, _never _to go to the 'bad place' again. I refused to even look in its direction.

I gazed down below me, at the savanna. I could see, in the distance, hunting lions, and closer to Pride Rock younger cubs playing. _They _weren't grounded.

I glanced back at the cave. Mother was watching. No chance to slip away and exchange quick words with Amani.

Patiently, I waited. I turned, so I faced Mother, then laid down and feigned sleep. I prayed she would sleep as well—or at least doze. I only needed a minute or two.

Finally, she slept. Carefully, I stood up.

Nothing happened.

I walked towards the left ramp of Pride Rock that led to an alcove.

Nothing happened.

I began to go down the ramp.

Nothing.

Finally, I broke into a run until I found Amani by himself, laying down. He raised his head. "Won't your mom—"

I tilted my head and closed my eyes, flopping over onto my side.

"Oh, she's sleeping." I stood up and nodded, walking over and settling down by Amani.

"Don't you just hate it? To think, we have to endure two more days of this! I'm so bored. There's nothing to do. I can't even talk to you, or anybody else," Amani said. I nodded in agreement.

We continued the one-sided conversation until I realized nearly a half an hour had passed, and the lions would be home soon. Quietly, I stood up, nodded goodbye to Amani and stole away.

"See you, Kimya," Amani said, laying his head back down.

I snuck back up onto the main part of Pride Rock, observed Mother still sleeping, and padded back over to where I had been laying. I laid my head down and slept for real this time.

~~...~~

It was hard, but endure it we did. Finally, when we were released from our prison, we frolicked and played together, blissfully returning to our old world—but staying away from the graveyard.

But our happiness could not last. A great famine settled over the land. A cry of hunger arose in the lions. The weakest died, and the population dwindled. On the third week of starvation, in the second day, this is what happened.

I was sitting on the tip of Pride Rock, staring remorsefully out at the now under-populated savanna. I was too weak to play, too tired to run, and getting up hurt too much, so all I could do was sleep or watch. I didn't see Amani anymore; he was kept inside the cave at all times. Every time I began to think how still he looked as he slept, how lifeless, a jolt ran through me and chilled me to the bone.

As I stared out at the savanna, as I said before, I noticed something beginning to come towards Pride Rock, on the horizon.

The thing turned out to be three things, then more things, until, finally, there were at least twenty things coming towards us, running.

I stood up, cringed at the pain that shot through my side, but managed to run down to the lower area. Finally finding Daddy, I ran into him. Being as small as I was, it couldn't hurt him not push him. All it succeeded to do was surprise him and catch his attention, which was exactly what I intended.

"Kimya? What is it?" he asked. In response, I gently grabbed hisleg, not biting down, and tugged, signifying that he should follow. Daddy got up from where he had been resting and followed me up to the top of Pride Rock. I gazed out at the things coming towards us. They were close enough now for me to realize they were lions, but unfamiliar lions. I could feel the hair rise on my back at the sight of them, though I did not know why.

The small pride of lions stopped at Pride Rock, and the one leading them stepped forward and walked up the ramp that lead to the top of it.

The leader was male, and he looked very strong, stronger than daddy, even. He was the typical golden color, and had small brown eyes, that were squinty. I didn't like him... he gave me a bad feeling.

I slunk behind Daddy and peered out from behind him.

"By what means do you enter our territory?" Daddy growled.

"We've come to negotiate—we have heard that your Pride is starving, and we have come to offer food, for a small price," the other lion said.

"What's your price?" Daddy asked, still cautious.

"Merely allow us to join our lands with yours and come and go freely on either land. We'd like the tenseness between our prides to end."

Quietly, no longer wanting to hear the conversation, I slipped away, down he ramp that led to the savanna. I did not trust this pride of lions. Something about them was... ominous.

As I slipped quietly down the ramp, jumping off the side when I was close enough to the ground, almost landed on another lion cub, one from the other pride. He was male, and also a bright golden color. His eyes were big and brown, similar to the color of the leader's eyes.

"Hiya!" he exclaimed. "I'm Kisasi! What's your name?"

Unable to answer him, I just stared.

"Why don't you answer?" Kisasi asked, his smile vanishing. Of course I couldn't answer, and I couldn't tell him that.

Kisasi scowled. "Why are you ignoring me? Answer me!" I shook my head 'no'.

Kisasi growled, stalking off. I stared after him, fearful. What was he going to do now?

After standing in that spot for a while, I finally turned and left. The other lions had dispersed. They were gone. I ran up onto Pride Rock and found Daddy, thinking. I cocked my head.

"They're gone now, Kimya," he said. I sat down, sadly wondering how we were to get food.

~~...~~

I woke up with a jolt at the yelling. It had been a few days. Hopping to my feet, I ran down Pride rock, only to encounter most of the pride dragging dead antelopes up the ramp. When I saw this, I hopped into the air happily. Quickly running over to the first dead antelope, I ripped a chunk out of his back and ran.

"Hey!" the lion dragging it called, dropping the antelope, but I ignored him and ran for the cave. I ran over to Amani and threw myself on him.

"Unh?" He answered. I shoved the food towards him, and he weakly sat up and ate it.

He would live.

The famine was over.


	7. Plots and Plans

I snickered, a sound that sounded more like a snort than a laugh, but it was good enough for me. I bounded across the grass, happily soaking in the sunshine. I soaked it in a tad too long, though, as Amani had me laying flat on the ground within a moment.

These were the blissful days that passed soon after the famine; days filled with running and playing and the occasional minor squabble. All was well in the Pridelands, but although I didn't know it, all was _not _well outside the Pridelands.

~~...~~

Kisasi swiped at his muzzle with his forepaw, attempting to scratch an unrelenting itch on his fragile nose. He sighed and rolled over onto his side.

"Tsk. You know, Sisi, you really shouldn't roll in the dirt so. Wouldn't want to mess up that beautiful coat of yours you care so much about," a female, dirty yellow cub said, walking up behind Kisasi.

Kisasi was already on his feet, yowling irritatedly and springing for her, but she had already stepped out of the way.

"Shut up, Licha," Kisasi said, glaring at his sister vehemently.

Licha laughed, tossing her head and revealing a toothy grin. "You call that yowl a lion's roar? Let me show you something about that, brother dearest." With that, she sprung forward and released a roar that sent Kisasi stumbling backwards, making him sit down hard.

"Pick on someone your own size!" he exclaimed defensively, standing up.

Licha seemed to find this funny, for she elapsed into a string of malicious giggles. "I don't think that term applies when the one picking on you is _smaller _than you," she said smugly.

Kisasi yelled out and tackled Licha. The two wrestled about for a bit. The other pride members who were laying about dozing only lifted their head and made no attempt to break up the escalating fight. In the end, Licha managed to pin Kisasi.

"Kisasi, honestly, pinned by your younger sister?" The voice radiated disapproval. Kisasi turned his head up to see his father, a large an imposing figure, gazing sternly down at him.

"Sorry..." he whimpered. Suddenly realizing Licha was still laying on him, he struggled and managed to shove her off, unable to wipe the smug look off her face.

"You two knock it off. I need to talk to you..." He growled to himself and stalked off, motioning for them to follow. They did.

The land they were in was barren. Few trees were to be found to protect the lions from the beating sun, any grass growing was stubble at best, and diseases ran rampant. It was not uncommon for members of the pride to die. Most was diseased and poisoned, and many were lazy, so the children starved.

Kisasi scowled at Licha. She stuck her tongue out at him. The two had always fought since before they could remember, even as tiny cubs. Kisasi had tried to be nice to Licha, but she would never leave him alone. She would follow him everywhere, stepping on his heels and biting his legs. Then she got older and the squabbles began, that somehow blended into fighting as the days passed. And Licha had always been better. Licha had always won.

The three of them, after walking a short distance away from the rest of the pride, ended up at a large cave. It was primarily used for sleeping or avoiding rainy weather. The cave was almost completely underground; it looked like a large rock from a distance, but when you got closer, you could see a large hole in the side of it, as well as various small holes in the top.

"Kisasi, Licha, it's time for you to enact the first stage of my plan," their father said, as he hopped nimbly into the hole and down into the cave.

Kisasi waited for him to continue, but when he didn't, he hopped down as well and said, "What do you mean?" with a slight stumble as he landed on the cool cave floor.

"What I mean is, you're to leave this pride and join another one," his father replied. He began to pace, merely an outline in the shadows all but for when a piece of cascading light, filtered through the holes in the rock, hit him.

"What? Why?" Licha asked, not so surprised that she couldn't smirk at Kisasi as she landed gracefully.

"Revenge, my dear daughter," the father said, obviously pleased with Licha.

"You know of the Pridelands, their tyrannical leaders. What you don't know is what they have done to my pride—how they have separated us, torn us apart. The leaders and past leaders of that... wretched pride must pay for what they have done," he continued bitterly.

"What did they do to us?" Kisasi asked, not completely understanding the point.

"You'll find out soon enough... But now onto what is most important. You two are to infiltrate the pride, by any means necessary, gain the trust of their members, and kill the weakest of the ruling family—Sarabi. She is an old lioness, and should be easy to get rid of. Nala should be your next target—she is not quite as old, but against the two of you, she doesn't stand a chance. Finally, kill the youngest member of the family... Kimya. She is about your age, so should match you in strength, but as long as she does not alert the rest of the pride she should be easily dispatched. Leave Kovu, Kiara, and Simba to me."

A look of disbelief had been growing on Kisasi's face, and at the end of this speech it turned into full astonishment.

"You want us to _kill _them? You was _us _to kill them? But..." he tried to voice his surprise, but he couldn't.

"It will take a least a year for you and Licha to earn the trust of the pride. By then, you should both be strong and old enough to do what I ask," was the unsympathetic reply.

"But...how can you ask us to... to take their life? ! They're only—"

"And I suppose you believe that the death of your mother was an accident? !"

Kisasi stopped, stunned, staring at his father.

"You... you mean...?" he tried unsuccessfully.

"Yes. Simba killed her. That was... a long time ago," his father replied, eyes showing the faintest sign of remorse as he paced about.

"And that's why you need to take the first step. You need to kill of the family... avenge your mother. And then we will take over the Pridelands, and this meager life of sorrow and past regrets will be no more!" His voice grew with every word.

"What's the second step?" Licha asked, unmoved by all of this.

"Oh, let me worry about that, Licha. You'll see soon enough."


	8. New Members

"_You most of all should know..."_

"_Not like the Outsiders..."_

"_What makes them different..."_

"_From far away..."_

"_But we are one..."_

Blinking sleepily, I raised my head and looked around the cave. The lionesses were asleep around the raised area, bright and grey-yellow fur pelts gleaming in the dim sunlight that reached through the mouth of the cave. I glanced at Mother and Daddy, who were sleeping. I swore that I had heard them talking, but there they were, asleep. It must have been a dream.

Stretching, I ran forward and took a leap over the lions, landing on the other side. I pranced down Pride Rock and headed for the waterhole. I was old enough now to go to it on my own.

I leaned down to drink as I arrived. A gazelle bounded past me, but I didn't think much of it. What I did think much of was a bunch of white birds that took to the air without warning. My head snapped up. I immediately bolted into the high grass.

"Aaaaah!" I whirled around to face whoever had yelled. That's when it collided with me. I was knocked back and sent rolling. I desperately tried to climb to my feet, but I was too dizzy. I couldn't even yell for help.

"PUMBAA! It's called 'bowling for _birds'_ for a reason!" a voice yelling. As soon as I could see again, I hopped up. I came face-to-face with a big brown warthog with gleaming tusks. I backpedaled and bared my teeth.

"Whoa! Calm down, kid!" I looked up at the warthog's head to see a tan meerkat with red fur on his head.

"Sorry, princess Kimya. I didn't mean to hit you," the warthog said.

I let my mouth lower over my teeth and cocked my head, but still stood defensively, hair bristling.

"I'm Timon," the meerkat said.

"And I'm Pumbaa!" the warthog exclaimed, a good-natured look pasted on his face.

"Geez, calm down, kid. We're friends of the family," Timon continued, trying to placate me.

Deciding they weren't hostile, I lowered my stance and stood normally.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Pumbaa asked.

I motioned to the waterhole. Pumbaa nodded.

"Well, now that we know she's okay, let's continue our valiant quest for breakfast. Hi-yah!" Timon exclaimed, kicking Pumbaa as if he were a horse.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, buddy."

Pumbaa sped off. I merely blinked, turned, and headed back for Pride Rock. Meanwhile, as I set off, two dark forms were crouching in the grass.

"Now's our chance. You remember the plan?"

"Uh..."

"Sisi, you stupid... Okay, look. We need to get Kovu and Kiara to accept us into the pride. We can get that lion to take us to them, and maybe if he sees us with one of his own, he'll be less suspicious. Just shut up and let me do the talking."

"Alright, alright..."

"Ready... now!" They took off, rushing after me. Both were silent as they ran through the grass.

I flicked my ear as I heard a crunch, but payed no heed. At least not until the sound of grass being flattened by one... no, two creatures reached my ears. I looked around, but the tall grass obscured my vision. I was suddenly very afraid. I bolted.

I could see the forms on either side of me, hear the crunch of twigs. I breathed hard and sped up. With a whoosh, I rushed out of the tall grass and onto the open savanna. Pride Rock was so far away.

"Hey, wait up!" one of the voices yelled. I came to an abrupt halt and glanced behind me, only to see two lions, one with a dark coat and one with a light coat. I recognized the light-coated one. It was Kisasi, the boy. The dark-coated one was unknown to me, but she had green eyes, and resembled Kisasi.

"You're the cub that wouldn't talk to me..." Kisasi said.

The dark-pelted lion glared at Kisasi and stepped forward. "We need you to take us to the leaders of this pride. Now," she said.

I blinked.

"Just get moving!" the female cub snapped.

I reluctantly turned and walked forward. It didn't take us long to get back to Pride Rock. Lionesses who had not yet left to go hunting raised their heads and looked at us curiously, but otherwise did not stop us as we climbed up the ramp.

"Kimya! I'm so glad to see you! Where have you—" Amani stopped short of his rushing over to me and stared at Kisasi and the other cub. "Who're they?"

"_You're _Kimya?" Kisasi asked in disbelief, turning to me.

"Who are you?" Amani asked, staring at Kisasi.

"You're not a part of our pride. Why are you here?" I sighed with relief at hearing Daddy's voice. He could fix this.

"Kovu," Mother chided. "Are you lost?"

I turned around and saw them standing there. Zazu was sitting on Daddy's shoulder. Daddy motioned for me to come there, so I did, hiding between his legs.

"My name is Licha. This is Kisasi. Please, we ran away from our pride. We want to join this one," the dark-coated cub, Licha, pleaded.

"What makes you think I should just allow you to join?"

"We're just young cubs. Our parents died while hunting. That's why we ran away. We can't go back and we have nowhere else to go. _Please." _Licha looked to be on the verge of tears. Her blue eyes widened.

Mother glanced at Daddy sympathetically, but hidden behind the sympathy I could see a warning.

"I..." Daddy faltered. "Alright. You can stay, at least for now."

"Thank you," Licha said simply. Kisasi lowered his head.

Daddy turned, glanced at Mother, and headed down the ramp. Mother followed him. I stepped forward, glancing back at Amani, but he didn't follow. I headed down the ramp and stopped in the shade of the trees. Most of the lionesses had dispersed by now, gone hunting.

Before Licha and Kisasi could leave, Amani growled to get their attention and stepped towards them menacingly.

"I don't like you. Don't you dare let me catch you doing anything to Kimya. If I so much as find out you've touched a hair on her..." Amani glared at them. Kisasi shrank back, but Licha only laughed and stepped forward.

"Is that a challenge?" she asked, smiling and revealing the glint of her sharp teeth. "We're not going to touch your little _princess. _Why can't we just be friends?"

"I'll never be friends with you."

"Pity, pity. You're such a charmer, you know. Tsk tsk." With that, Licha turned away from Amani and headed off.

Amani glared at Kisasi until he backed off and ran after Licha. He then turned and headed down the ramp until he found me. I cocked my head curiously.

"Nothing, Kimya. I wasn't doing anything." Amani smiled.

I furrowed my brow, not believing him.

Amani laughed and changed the subject. "You're it!" he bolted.

I wanted to protest, and opened my mouth to do so, but then I remembered I couldn't. I closed my mouth with a click, shook my head, and ran after Amani.


	9. Part of the Family

I followed Amani as he led me along the savanna, trying to keep up. Every day I found that he was getting faster than I was, and it dismayed me—how was I supposed to catch an antelope in the future if I couldn't even keep up with Amani?

In other news, I was much taller now. I certainly wasn't as tall as Mother or Daddy... I barely came up above their shoulders! But I was getting there. Amani was growing as well. His mane was even starting to come in.

Despite the fact that we would be grown up before we knew it, we hadn't quite dropped the cub-like playful streak yet.

"Come on, Kimya! You run slower than a hippo!" Amani called over his shoulders.

With much hurt pride, I dashed forward and managed to overtake Amani, who had begun a full gallop forward. Amani began to slow down, but I was so happy to be first that I didn't notice how odd that was. I looked back and grinned at Amani, but he was grinning right back.

I blinked, confused, and looked forward. The waterhole was just a bound in front of me, and I couldn't stop! I sailed over the water and landed in it, but only after tumbling head-over-heels through the air.

I came up, gasping for breath. Amani trotted over to the other end of the waterhole. "I win," he said with a laugh. "See you later, alligator!" He bounded off towards the Outlands.

I growled and paddled for land, but by the time I got out of the water, Amani was gone. I shook myself off and bounded towards the direction he disappeared.

It didn't take me long to find him. He was standing in front of the rapids that separated us from the Outlands.

"Your father told me that this place was abandoned now that the Outlanders joined the pride. I wonder what it's like out there," Amani said, turning and grinning at me.

I slanted my ears, understanding what he was suggesting. Daddy told me not to leave the Pridelands again. We had gotten in enough trouble with the graveyard... who knew how angry he would get if we found out we had entered the _Outlands!_

"Come on, it'll be fun," Amani pressed.

I shook my head and backed away a few paces.

"Oh, you're no fun. I'll just go myself." Amani turned to do just that when a voice, cold as ice, cut through the air.

"You can't go there."

Amani growled, recognizing the voice. He turned to see Kisasi, who was slowly walking towards us from the hill overlooking the river.

"Why not?" Amani demanded.

"Because... uh, because I'll tell Kovu. I know you're not allowed over there."

Amani looked at me then at Kisasi. He growled again before plodding off, surely planning ways to get back at Kisasi.

Kisasi turned to me. He looked to be on the verge of saying something, but he only turned away and climbed the hill.

I stood in the spot I was for a moment, thinking, but Amani's call of, "Hurry up, Kimya!" drew me out of my thoughts. I turned and headed up the hill, only stopping once to glance back at the river, sparkling on beads of sunlight.

~~...~~

"Should... should we try to get her?"

"No, you idiot! In broad daylight, someone's bound to see us! Not to mention killing her now would mean that we'd be exposed too early to kill the others! We must wait until we're older and stronger. As we grow strong with youth, our targets grow weak with age."

"What about Kimya?"

"Kimya doesn't count, Sisi. She's growing stronger, but not strong enough to take on two at once."

"What are we hiding here for, then?"

Kisasi and Licha were hiding in the grass, stalking me as I walked along, oblivious to their presence.

"No harm in training," Licha replied, her voice hushed.

I headed down the hill that led to the waterhole, still blissfully unaware of Licha and Kisasi. I took a drink of water.

"Oh, I've got an idea... Get down there!" Licha whispered.

"Wait... what? Why?" Kisasi asked.

"It's perfect! Make her comfortable around you, and she'll never see it coming..." A wicked grin spread across Licha's face.

"Huh?"

"Forget the details. Just make friends with her."

Licha pushed Kisasi, sending him in an unstoppable run down the hill.

I jumped back as something rolled past me and fell into the water with a splash. Upon closer inspection, I realized the something to be a very wet Kisasi. Unsure what to do, I backed away. Kisasi and Licha had been ignoring and even avoiding me, and not to mention Amani warned me to stay away...

"Uh..." Kisasi shook himself off and got out of the water. "H-hi."

I blinked, and nodded hello after a few moments.

"So, er, how are you?"

I shrugged.

"That's... good." Kisasi smiled awkwardly. His gaze turned behind me.

Licha was making obvious movements in the background. She crouched down on her front, rolled around, and acted silly.

I blinked and looked back, but Licha had hidden in the grass already. I turned back to Kisasi, confused.

"Oh... oh! You wanna play?" Kisasi lowered his front to the ground. "Like... tag! Tag, you're it!" Kisasi bounded off.

I paused for a moment, considering my losses. Well, Amani wouldn't hate me if I became Kisasi's friend... I smiled and chased after Kisasi.

After all, why not?

~~...~~

Yes, yes... I will catch one... Catch one and make Mother and Daddy proud. Must concentrate... think fast, think pounce...

When I reached the edge of the tall grass, I leaped out of its cover... and right onto bare ground. I took a bound and jumped into the air, but my teeth snapped together with a metallic click. My prey, the small but fast guinea, had escaped. Again.

I sat down in the grass with an annoyed huff. I wasn't old enough to catch a gazelle or a wildebeest, of course, but it annoyed me that I couldn't even catch a _guinea._

Just then, I noticed a bird I'd much rather be hunting. Grinning, I pressed myself onto the ground and slunk towards him.

Zazu didn't even know what had hit him until his back hit the ground. I fell over sideways when I saw his look of disbelief, my chest heaving with soundless laughter.

"You're getting too old for this, you know," Zazu said sternly, hopping back onto the rock he had been on with a flutter of his wings. I knew I was going to get a lecture now, but that only made it more hilarious. I righted myself and prepared.

"Kimya, it won't be long until you're a full-grown lioness. And when your parents begin to grow old, you'll be queen! Such... antics should be past you by now. Your parents and I aren't always going to be around to help guide you, you know," Zazu lectured.

I rolled my eyes. Zazu and my parents would _always _be around. I tried to imagine life without any of them and found that I couldn't.

"Kimya, are you _listening?" _Zazu waved a wing in front of my face, breaking me from my thoughts. "Oh, why can't you be more like Mufasa when he was young? He's the only one who didn't pounce on me every day!"

I slanted my ears and looked down at the ground. I was surprised to find my vision blurring at the edges, and realized I was crying.

"What? Oh, don't cry..." Zazu hopped down from the rock. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Zazu said, hugging my leg.

I blinked away the rest of my tears and nuzzled Zazu as thanks. It was only at that moment that I realized Zazu wasn't just an adviser or a grumpy old bird. He was a part of the family. I felt bad that I hadn't appreciated him as much before.

"Now, run along home," Zazu said, breaking the hug. "The sun's about to set and nighttime is no time for a young lion to be out and about." With that, Zazu took to the air. I smiled after him before heading the same way.


	10. Amani's Hunt

The months passed slowly, drearily on. It got a little colder at night, and Mother said that it was winter. Winter was boring. Amani was still his old sweet and silly self, but he had become so much more serious. He didn't want to play as much. I always smiled when I recalled our old antics, and I wished that we would get ourselves into scrapes like we had when we were young.

Kisasi was also friendly, but he was even more serious than Amani. When we did play, which was rare, he was awkward at it, as if he hadn't played at all when he was a cub. I usually left him alone, as Amani didn't want me around him very much anyway.

Licha was... Licha. Cold and distant, and she always glared at me and made me uncomfortable. I deliberately avoided her... there was just something about her that frightened me.

There were a few other lionesses that had born along with me, but I wasn't very good friends with them. Oh, I liked them, of course. But they always called me 'Princess' or 'Princess Kimya' and acted as if they were only nice because I was Kovu and Kiara's daughter. I liked Amani because he was just so friendly, and he spoke to me as if I was his friend and not as if I were just a princess.

As for me, I was growing up quickly. My brown fur lightened a bit and evened out. I nearly doubled in size. I found that I could suddenly run as fast as Amani, sometimes even faster. Before my rapid maturation, I had tripped and stumbled over paws too big for my body, but I had finally acquired the grace and balance of an adolescent.

Spring came, and I was a year old. I could hardly believe it. I was finally old enough to hunt, finally old enough to walk proudly with the adults. I was no longer the clumsy little cub I had once been. I was a lioness.

The hunt was coming up; my hunt. You see, when the cubs matured, they went on a hunt, but with nobody else to help them. By hunting down a creature, you were showing that you were becoming an independent adult, able to take care of yourself.

I needed a lot of practice if I was going to successfully complete my hunt. If I failed, I could always try again, but I wanted to succeed the _first _time. I wanted to show everyone that I wasn't helpless just because I was mute. I wanted to show them that there was nothing different or strange about me.

Plus, I had heard tales of lions who had stayed out until the next morning and come back with nothing, heads bowed in shame. I didn't want that to happen to me. That would be _awful._

I was heading down the ramp, preparing to go practice-hunt in the twilight, when Mother came up beside me.

"Kimya." Mother smiled. I smiled back and nuzzled her as a hello.

"I'd like to talk to you," Mother continued. Although I wanted to be hunting, this seemed to be important, so I nodded.

Mother led me down the ramp. We stepped into the savanna and began walking. The lush grass tickled my paws and belly. An antelope raised its head and looked at us. Deeming that we weren't a threat at the moment, it did not run, and instead chewed on the grass and looked at us with big brown eyes until we had passed.

Mother and I continued walking in silence for a few minutes. I looked around the savanna. A sea of grass was all around us, with only the occasional tree sticking up out of it. The moon was beginning the rise, and already a little bit of its light was coming over the land and illuminating it. Beautiful, just so beautiful...

"Your father and I aren't always going to be around, Kimya," Mother said gently when we had neared the waterhole.

What Zazu had told me not so long ago. I cocked my head and gazed at Mother sadly. Why did everybody have to keep saying that?

"We won't be there to guide you. When we become old, you will be queen. And," Mother chuckled, "it's not easy. Leading a pride requires something special. Wisdom. Do you know what that is?"

I shook my head and shrugged. The word was foreign to me. Mother led me to the clearing that contained the waterhole. The dirt sifted under our paws as we walked to the edge of the still, crystalline waters.

To my surprise, Mother began to sing. She nodded towards the water and I looked down into its depths. At first, I only saw myself, and the only surprise to me was how much older I looked. But when Mother sang the line, "We are more than we are; we are one," she came up beside me. Half of her face in the reflection blended with mine. I nearly gasped—how could that happen?

Mother continued to sing for a few minutes until she reached the end. She held the last note out for a few minutes before letting it go. Her voice faded into the wind. After a moment, she said, "My father sang that to me when I was young. I didn't understand him at first. You may not understand now. But hopefully this will help you someday." With that, she smiled, turned, and walked away.

I lingered behind for a few minutes, staring into my reflection and contemplating the words. They were so simple, yet held so much meaning behind them. I pondered until the moon had risen high into the sky and I still couldn't wrap my head about it. With a sigh, I turned towards home. It was too late to hunt now.

~~...~~

Another week passed, and it was Amani's big day. The lions lined up against either side of the rocky ramp and murmured their approval. Everybody was there there; from the oldest lions, greying with age, to the young cubs who wriggled beside their mothers. I saw Licha in the line, stoic-faced and silent. Kisasi was beside her. Even though he had grown in his mane and was much taller now, he still looked like... well, a runt. He was scrawny and small, smaller than me, even.

My whole family, include my grandparents and great-grandma Sarabi, stood at the tip of Pride Rock. Kujali, Amani's mother, waited at the end of the ramp to wish her child good luck.

"It seems as if just yesterday he was just a cub," Daddy said as Amani headed down the ramp in that self-assured walk of his.

Mother said nothing, but she smiled. I smiled too. I couldn't actually say anything, so I merely thought of what I might say.

_I can't believe how big he's gotten. I'm so proud of him. That's my best friend, you know, _I thought to myself. Those seemed like appropriate things to say.

I didn't hear the short conversation Amani and Kujali had, but I saw Kujali mouth 'You've made me proud already'. Then Amani nuzzled her and walked past. When he was out in the savanna, he glanced back at Pride Rock.

Unable to call to him, I did the next best thing. I reared up on my hind legs for a few seconds and dropped back down. I guess that was supposed to be the equivalent of screaming 'Woo-hoo' or 'Good luck'. That wasn't exactly the most dignified or 'princessy' expression, but it got the meaning across. I saw Amani's grin even from that far away. He turned and broke into a gallop. I watched him until he disappeared into the waving grass.

And then there was nothing left to do but wait. The crowd of lions dispersed. They had all hunted vigorously yesterday, so there would be food in case Amani didn't catch anything; also so that he wouldn't bump into anybody and break his concentration. After all, it wouldn't be very good if Amani was just about to attack his prey when another lion leaped out of the shadows and accidentally stole it from him.

Today was a day of rest. Some lions stretched themselves out and dozed in the warm sun. Others retreated to either the shade of the trees among the right ramp or to the cool sleeping-cave. Mother and Daddy did the former. But I wasn't tired, and I wanted to see Amani the moment he came triumphantly plodding over the horizon.

One hour led to the next and slowly, I began to doze off. The sun reached the middle of the sky and radiated waves of heat. I became more and more tired every minute until I could hardly keep my eyes open. I slowly lowered my head onto my paws and closed my eyes.

Then, I was waking up. It was less hot now, and a little darker. I raised my head and looked at the sky. The sun had moved quite a bit; I was asleep for about two hours. I yawned, stood up, and stretched.

I turned my head and gazed at the savanna. I could see Rafiki's tree in the distance. The waterhole was a blue speck far away. I squinted when I noticed something coming over it... something yellow. It came closer and closer, until I saw its grinning face and realized it was Amani.

I turned and charged into the cave. Daddy and Mother were sleeping on the raised area. I hopped up onto the dais and pulled on Daddy's ear with my teeth. Childish, but the only way to wake him up.

"Ouch!" I stopped pulling. Daddy blinked several times and looked at me with confusion. I backed away to show he should come.

He came. Seeing that Amani was coming back, he rallied up the rest of the lions. They got back into line, as if they had never moved.

Amani was almost there by the time we had arranged ourselves. Glowing with pride, he hefted the kill off his back and dragged it forward, up the ramp. And that's when I realized what it was.

It was a _buffalo. _Amani had killed a buffalo. It wasn't an full-grown bull, of course... many adult lions were needed to take those down. But it was an adolescent male buffalo, and killing one was a great feat. Amani could have been killed himself.

The whole pride suddenly erupted into cheers. The littlest cubs, frightened by the explosion of noise, ran away and hid in the cave. The cheers died down, but the voices did not. The whole pride kept talking about him between each other and praising Amani as he made his way to the top of the ramp, dragging the buffalo all by himself.

I wanted to run over and hug him, but fearing that I should embarrass him, I stayed beside my parents. Amani caught my eye and I smiled widely at him. He grinned back.

I was proud of him. Few lions could accomplish what he had. _That's my best friend, _I thought again. _My best friend caught a buffalo all by himself._

That night we ate the buffalo Amani had caught. There was just enough for everybody. I loved buffalo; they had such a unique flavor. They were a rarity among the lions, though, because they were so hard to catch.

If what you caught during your first hunt showed how you were going to turn out in life, I predicted Amani would turn out pretty well. And now he was an adult, too. Good thing I was next in line to become one. It would be my day, _my _day. And I would catch something even better than a buffalo. I just had to figure out what that would be.

The days leading up to the hunt drug on and on. I thought they would never end, that maybe I would continue living on forever, but it would never be the day of my hunt. But, of course, it would come eventually.

The adults gave me advice over the next five days. "Make sure you get enough sleep," they said. "And don't forget to practice!"

There was one lion in the clan known as Jicho. She was even older than great-grandma Sarabi and didn't have a colored hair on her. One of her ears had a big hole in it and she was blind in one eye. Our conversation was... interesting.

"What? You want... what does that mean? Help? Speak? You want me to talk? ...No? Advice? For what? Hunting... Oh, you want advice for your hunt! Dearest me, why didn't you just say so, child, instead of flailing about like that? Oh, right, you're the _princess, _aren't you? The little mute... Yakim or Kimra, wasn't it? No? Oh, Kimya, right.

"I remember when I was your age. Mufasa was just a little whippersnapper then. So well-behaved, you wouldn't believe! ...But that's not what this story is about, anyway. It was the week leading to my hunt, and I just couldn't wait. I was the fastest girl around, and the smartest, too. I knew I could easily catch an antelope or a gazelle, but I wouldn't settle for anything like that, no-o siree.

"So on the day of the hunt, I immediately—wait, wait, hold on. Ah, sorry, there was a fly buzzing in my ear. Anyway, I immediately set out. I knew what I wanted and exactly what I was going to do to get it. It didn't take my long to find it—a rhinoceros. He ignored me at first, but as soon as I came close to him, he charged!

"Rhinoceroses are dim-witted creatures, you know. I led him along for quite a while, until we finally came to the, ah... the, uh... well, it was either the waterhole or the river. But anyway, we got to the water. I stood still as a mouse on the bank of the river, and that old rhino came charging right at me. I jumped away at the last second, and he fell right into the water. Now, another thing about rhinos is that they can't swim! I got him out into the river and he just went and sunk.

"I waited a few minutes, then I came down and—ah, darn it! The fly is back! Those things just won't leave me alone. It's probably because they know I'm so old and can't swat at them. Well, anyway, I pulled him out. That wasn't very easy, because he was so heavy, but I managed after a while. I didn't get back to Pride Rock until after the moon had risen and everybody was asleep. You should have _seen _the looks on all the lions' faces when they came out and saw me dragging that rhino up the ramp.

"So, in conclusion, if you want a rhino, chase it into the water. That should also work on elephants if the water is deep enough. You don't even know what wonders that will work. ...And neither do I. Who are you, again?"

Even though I didn't understand it, that was certainly the most interesting advice I had been given.

~~...~~

Rafiki laughed to himself as he dipped his fingers in an orange, paint-like substance. He painted a mane around a picture of a lion cub that was on a gigantic tree. Also on the tree were other pictures of lions. Many of them were faded and looked as if Rafiki had brushed his fingers over them.

Rafiki grinned when he was done and stepped back to admire his work. Then, he brushed a blue streak over a picture of a dark cub with a white chest.

He glanced, almost with fear, at the pictures of two other cubs, one with a bright pelt and one with a dark one when he was finished. He reluctantly painted a mane around one and put a red streak rather than a blue one over the other.

"Oh, Mufasa, it seems as if troubles will never end for your family. Licha and Kisasi grow stronger every day, and their intentions are darker than they seem," Rafiki murmured. "I am just not sure what it is they have come here for." Not even Rafiki knew of the threat those two posed.

Just then, a gust of wind came blowing through the area. Before Rafiki could comment, one of the gourds that dangled from a branch of the tree fell on the ground and split open. Its contents spilled over the ground.

Rafiki picked up the gourd and gazed at the picture of one of the lions, which was wearing away with time. The picture was beside another painting, but this one was of a male lion that had already had been brushed over.

"Oh dear," Rafiki said, realization dawning on his face.


End file.
